The demand for high-quality speakers has increased dramatically over the last twenty years. As a consequence, there is a large selection of high-quality speakers available on the market. To meet with popularity of various kinds of speakers, a variety of speaker fixing systems for fixing and supporting the speakers are developed.
It is known that the positioning, arrangement and orientation of speakers in commercial and residential settings can affect the quality of sound from a sound system. Currently, many approaches have been taken to the positioning of speakers in a room, cinema, theaters, or vehicle, in order to optimize the quality of sound from a system. In general, there are three types of speakers fixing systems.
One typical speaker fixing system is a speaker stand which supports a speaker above a horizontal surface such as a floor. The speaker stand does provide vertical adjustment and provides limited options to locate a speaker. Further, the speaker stand occupies a partial area of the floor, accordingly decreasing effective area available for arranging other furnishings.
The second type of speaker fixing system is a hanging mounting system which suspends a speaker from the ceiling by toggle bolts. However, in order to use toggle bolts, it is necessary to make additional holes in the ceiling panel to receive the toggle bolts. Such an arrangement is unsuitable for a speaker and its associated bracket having large weight. Further, due to the height of the ceiling, it is inconvenient to install the speaker and the fixing system by toggle bolts in the ceiling.
The third type of speaker fixing system is a fixed mounting bracket that will rigidly attach a speaker to a wall by toggle bolts. Some fixed mounting brackets are problematic, because they do not provide a fixed speaker angle adjustment. Other mounting brackets may include a base and an adjustment arm and may optionally include a pivoting point. The pivoting point may be physically attached between the base and the adjustment arm, for adjusting the orientation angle of the speaker. However, this pivoting mounting bracket is problematic, because the pivot point together with the adjustment arm may not provide an accurate user defined adjustment angle for the speaker orientation or a secure mount. Further, the pivoting point will wear over time and with use, thereby causing the speaker to fall from adjustment and even producing injury to person under the speaker.
Moreover, there is a spherically adjustable mounting bracket, which allows for adjustment along multiple planes by means of a ball and socket joint. In the typical design, a ball is mounted within a stationary socket. The socket is required to envelope a majority of the ball so that the speaker may be mounted securely by a pressure force locking mechanism, such that the speaker does not easily come loose from its fixed position. Although this configuration allows a speaker to be mounted along multiple plans, the range of adjustment afforded by this design is substantially restricted by the fact that the socket is required to envelope a significant portion of the stationary ball.
There is, therefore, a need for a speaker/bracket assembly which may accurately and swiftly achieve a repeatable orientation adjustment of the speaker, and have an enlarged range of adjustment.